Rant #2: Healthcare

"Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still." - Dale Carnegie


You'll forgive me if I take a moment to record my thoughts on, probably will be a historic(ally bad) day in my life.


This week, the Supreme Courts upheld the ruling that Obama care is constitutional.
This week, my Facebook news feed was blown up by happy people. 

To be honest, I cannot fathom why.

Part of the reason I loved being an American, was the freedom to choose to do, whatever I want. Whenever I want. And to be honest, I feel as if part of my freedom died yesterday. 

Now let me say this. I am not against health insurance.. I feel as though some I've spoken to in the last couple of days, don't think I understand the importance of health insurance. I do.

Believe me, I wanted it badly when I had my $600+ dental procedure done, and when I had to go with the "cheap" lenses for my newest set of eye wear.

That being said, I don't have health insurance now because I can't afford it. 
If I don't have money, even an affordable rate is STILL.OUT.OF.MY.PRICE RANGE.

But, as of yesterday, the government has officially told me: "Tough luck Erin, if you want to live here, you will afford it. You may have to give up your dogs, and quit eating, but you.will.have.health insurance."

Uncle Sam say what?

I HAVE to have health insurance simply because I'm alive? 
I HAVE to have YOUR health insurance simple because I live in the USA?

What if I don't?
I'll have to pay an increasing fine?

Yes Erin! Health Insurance is good for you! You will thank us for this! [Said in the voice of Jenna Marbles]

No I'm pretty sure I won't. 

You just stole my freedom to choose:

If I wanted insurance.
When I wanted insurance.
Who I wanted insurance with.

Not to mention, I don't exactly TRUST the government to do what's best for Me. Or WANT to do what's best for me. Its a well known fact that politicians lie, fool me once, shame me, fool me twice shame on you. How am I supposed to believe in this ONE instance, they actually mean well?

My faithful blog readers, know how many issues I've had getting money from the government for schooling (something I thought they WANTED me to do) and now I'm supposed to trust them to provide my health insurance, and then give me money to help me with it?

But Erin! They will do so much good for us! Lower rates, no price discrepancy between men and women!
Yay so we'll all pay the women's price. Yaaaay!!!
[This I don't know as fact but thinking govermentally here, why on earth would we go with a middle of the road rate, not to mention, its this government as well who STILL has yet to match the poverty line to current standards]

You'll excuse me if I'm highly skeptical here.

I'm sorry have you actually read the bill, or just the parts that Obama and others have touted as the "good"? The thing is, I did... start to read this 100+ page bill. You CAN'T understand the bill. Half of it spends time referring you back to other sections.

What's next providing our food for us? Arranging marriages? Regulating our kids?

A government that's big enough to give you what you want, is big enough to take it from you.

So apparently I've talked about this before....

tomorrow.

Tomorrow I go to the dentist for the first time in several years. 
Tomorrow I pay for my dental visit for the first time ever.
Am I officially grown up now?


if so, where's the exit? I wanna get off this train now! 


I never have been one to be afraid of the dentist. 
I actually used to *like* going to the dentist as a child. 
I mean, who didn't like getting erasers and pencils and cheap plastic trinkets? It was the best part!


We could hardly wait to dive into the toy box, that was taunting us from the other side of the room. 


Even as I grew up, I always wondered why people cowered in fear at the thought of going to the dentist. Sure it wasn't a thrill a minute, but our dentist, hygienist and dental assistants were all really nice and our visit were pleasant. 


Unfortunately moving meant discovering a new dentist. Sure I could do as my family has done and continue to use our dentist across the mountain, but who wants to drive 1.5 hours for a dental appointment? So on the recommendation of a friend, I took up with someone new. 


My first visit was during a busy time of day, apparently, and I felt as the dentist was in a rush and didn't do more than give me cursory nod. Oh! Yep you have a cavity. 


Let's get you back in her in a couple of weeks ok? Alright then.


What?? No you need to do this now! While I still have insurance......


Once my insurance ran out, life went on, I certainly didn't have the money to pay for the procedure, so I brushed, rinsed, and sometimes flossed (i know, i know) the best I could. 


Tax Return season hit, I have the money and so here we are.


And I'm scared. 

1. I've been suffering from allergies for the last couple of weeks and am not looking forward to sit for an hour or so with my mouth open, and have mucus pooling in my throat...or sneezing, or cough, or needing to blow my nose. 
2. The position the cavity I need to get taken care of is can be tender, and I really, really don't want him to hurt me. 
3. My dad has had a bad experience with this dentist and keeps giving me his war story. 
4. What if he can't fix it, and I'll need the tooth pulled and it will cost more money than I really have???

And so there you have it. 

I am complete dreading tomorrow. 

I want it to be over already. 

eep. 

January: The Goal

♪♫...Another year over, and a new one just begun.. ♪♫

Hello Two Thousand Twelve. 


Like everyone else, in the world, quite possibly, the beginning of the year gives me the chance, to evaluate my previous year, what I liked, what I didn't like... and set some goals I would like to tackle in the coming year. Last years goals were good, but vague... looking back on them, I can't cross them off my list, simply due to the fact, I don't know exactly what I was hoping to accomplish with them. 


Over the past 24 hours, I've spent a lot of time, contemplating what I want to do this year, what's important, and attempting prioritize things. It wasn't easy, and by the time I finished, I wound up with 65 goals. 

Its a little excessive, I'll give you that, but if I put some effort into I can accomplish them. Out of that 65, there are 12 goals, that I have committed to working on once a month. A month or so ago, a blogger/twitter friend of mine, came up with the idea to work pick 12 goals to focus on in 2012. I, loving the idea of small steps, signed up as soon as I could. To be honest, coming up with one goal per month was a bit difficult, as 


This month, my goal is to drink at least one glass of water a day. Sounds simple right? For me...Not so much. Drinking is not only about wetting my thirst, but also sating my appetite. I'm not a morning person, so the thought of breakfast at 7:00am is nauseating to me, not too mention, I never have TIME for breakfast.  So juice winds up being a quite way to tide me over until lunch time. 


Drinking water does not sate your appetite. 


However, I need it. 


So, I downloaded an app called Waterlogged to help me keep track of my water drinking... (my co-worker/nutritionist major will be soo proud). Right now, success = 1 glass of water, but as the habit develops I hope to get up to the required 64 ounces a day. 


Good Lord. 


Other goals that I will be working on over the year include: 

• Learn to Eat Breakfast 
• Blog @ least five times a month (or once a week) 
• Work on Concentrating on One Task for longer periods of time .. 
• Creating a morning routine that is productive.. 
• Memorize a scripture a month.. 
• 3 D.I.Y Projects a Month 
• Read 4 Books a month 
• More specified training sessions with my pet dogs...

Just to name a few... 

I'm looking forward to updating you all on my progress.  

How about you? What goals are you hoping to tackle this year? I wanna know. 

April 1st 2010

No more April Fools.
Please!!
My heart is still trying to restart from several of bloggers faking they were going to stop blogging. NOT FUNNY GUYS!!!
Granted I think mine was pretty funny.
I laugh every time I obsessively go back and look at it.
Its a rare occasion I feel this funny, so I'm going to wallow in it a little bit. haha
April 1st
I really have no goals for April other than to get throught school.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THERE ARE ONLY THREE WEEKS OF SCHOOL LEFT!!!
And I feel really good about this semester; its been tough but I think i've done

Random fact of the day: According too my roommate the 3 second rule is A MYTH!!! I know this comes as a surprise to most of you, but I actually find it oddly reliving to hear that a piece food picks up the same amount of germs whether its been on the floor 1 second or 10. I mean I no longer have to dive to the floor to save that piece of candy!


" HEY Watch that piece of food on the floor! I'm coming back too it in a minute!"

Just Kidding.

Ok I'm feeling a little giddy here.
But who wouldn't, with a three day weekend ahead of them!?
I LOVE YOU UT AND PSTCC!!!

My plans? Sleep, sleep, do homework, and probably do some more sleeping.

Oh yes, I'm sure I'll post pics of the kitchen and living room redo later on. The kitchen is white, and the living room is more Honey colored..I think Christina and I both panicked at the color at first, but once it dried..and we got used too it...

Its a little better.

Anyway, gotta go get back into civilian clothing! Yeehaw!

TATA!!!

Tuesday – March 30th

The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, my papers have been submitted
…..Its a good day!
I’ve also realized something very important.
I am going to school for me, not to please my teachers, I am going to school to learn a trade that I hope will be fulfilling ..(Yikes I can feel another blog post coming on!) in this case Photography/Web Design is the field of choice.

Yesterday I made the decision NOT too turn in my photo assignment, and give myself one more day to try and come up with some photos I think will meet my standards, and get me a good grade. No I don’t really like this teacher, or his teaching style, no I don’t really feel I’m learning much in this class…but the thing is that’s not what matters.
What matters is I do my best.

Ranting..You Have Been Warned

There is so much on my mind I don't know where to start at all.

We'll just start with Monday, this topic is controversial, so feel free to skip.

Health Care. 

I vote independent and I am a conservative.
Roomie and I stayed up Sunday night, and watched the Healthcare vote, over the internet. I couldn't sleep for at least two hours afterwards tossing and turning, worried what the future will hold.

I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life about something government is doing. The things my country was based on …FREEDOM, the thing my ancestors fought for..is slowly being taken away. When is it legal to force someone to buy something?

Sure I believe that healthcare is a needed thing, but at the same time it's not a right, sort of like driving a car. As all good driving instructors yell at you, as your are sitting in the middle of an intersection..Driving is a privilege, not a right! 

Speaking of cars, I know that car insurance is required…but there are so many nuts jobs out there that can and will harm myself and my family it's something that is needed. Last time I checked me not having healthcare, will not negatively affect someone else. 

I also have a friend, who has a daughter with cystic fibrosis. You want to know what our loving government has done with her insurance? Mind you this is just when they were talking about this bill... completely cut it off. Thankfully God stepped in and someone was able to start helping them get her meds through July, but you know her parents are scared silly about what their future will hold. I have other friends with special needs kids that are worried about the same thing. I hope and pray this is not the situation all over the country.

Another reason, I'm not "for HCR" is because I really don't believe its going to do what it says it's going to do. Think of all the school programs, and other government programs, that were supposed to do "great things" for our country, and have failed? I just don't believe it. 


Not to mention that I really don't want to pay for everyone else health care. I don't see how forcing me to buy something I can't afford will make it more affordable??

I really want to believe that this will be better for us,I will happily eat my words, if this turns out to be better than we hope..but have my extreme doubts, that it will be good for the country overall.


I must remember that one God is in charge, and he's the best healthcare a body can ever want.


School

Ok Photog teach, is seriously cramping my style. Monday we get into class. He shows us some commercial photography by his students from another class. We comment, and question about what makes the picture good or bad in his opinion. (We are such good students).. "Oh this is much to advanced for you" One guy goes, but maybe it will give us some ideas.. "No…you guys don't need to know this right now." 
I'm sure my eye brows shot up, and my mouth hung open. Insulting much???
Then he went on to let us know we were all due for a pop-quiz he knew we were going to fail. And guess what? WE DID!! 
I tried to ask a question, and he didn't even stop to listen to my full question, so I just wrote something down, and sat down. After that he read to us a chapter from a "famous" photographers biography, about a time he'd gone up a mountian with 9 rolls of film, and shot 8 of them on the way up their, and on the 9th, got a world famous shot. 


That is what he called inspiring.


Then handed us an assignment to complete, and sent us on our way.


...I'm so skipping class tomorrow.

I'm sure I have a ton of other stuff on the brain, but that is all for tonight. 




ET

End of Spring Break

I don't like traveling. But this week, I SOO wish I could have gotten away from it all, and actually had a BREAK! It doesn't help that my friend R is going to Florida next week. :-{ Not that I have money to go on vacation right now...or in the next six months for that matter..


My sister almost purchased her first car yesterday. I say almost because as they were test driving it the engine quit. yeah. Needless to say they came home car less...but we're just glad it happened then, and not after we got it home.

I have to admit to being a litttttlllee bit glad that she didn't get it, so that I will perhaps have the chance to get a car. I mean cause how lame is it for your YOUNGER sister to have a car before you do?

Ok I DID have a car, buttttt I kind of ran it into someone's hitch, and my parents said it wasn't worth fixing. Then they sold it to our neighbors who have been happily putting around in it.

Granted it probably wouldn't have survived all the traveling I do around here but...that is Not.the.point.

I am really hoping too get my FA money in next week, so I can start some serious vehicle inquiries..cause I'm really tired of driving my dads car.

Right now I'm looking at the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute,Pontiac Vibe or the Pontiac Torrent. I am a "big car' sort of girl, but trying to get something within my budget. Plus my friends would LOVE to be able to ride with me, without having....dog hair on them, or the actually dogs on them.

image credit

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What can I say. Love me? Love my dogs.

Anyone own any of these vehicles Pros? Cons?

I wanna know!

A College Student

It is Finished!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!

Ok so I thought Monday was bad, but today has been a doozy, I won't go into all the boring details, but I was at one of the campus's for at least 5 hours. But is finished, I am taking on a 12 credit hour load this semester, which is four classes. I'm hoping that FA will only require 9 credits and I can drop one class. And that will even out my work schedule.

My Math classes and Public Speaking were transferable, so don't have to take those again.

And because I did very poorly in English I had to take the placement test for that, I did great on the reading, but my Writing was two points away from being passable. GRRR!

So I have to take a Writing/English Course, and for some reason I can't even start any other classes in my major until I get that completed, so we kind of had to browse around and FIND something for me to do. Though I am proud that I stuck to my guns, and didn't get a class before 9AM (my sister had classes at 7:30AM last semester..KArAZy! I can't even eat that early much less THINK!?) So heres what I got.

Spring 2010 

• MWF - Developmental Writing [9:40AM - 10:35AM] what is up with these times??
  
• MW - Introduction to Photography [10:45AM - 12:05PM] Just going from one class to another
• Tuesday - General Sociology - [12:25pm - 1:45pm] Hoping to drop this class cause this just messes up the schedule. 
• Online - Introduction to Theatre 
  

 Tomorrow my boss and I get to hash out a new schedule. Yay. I am just SO relieved this is over.

I have spoken via voice-mail, with the Disabilities Person at PSTCC, and doesn't look like their will be a problem with the puppies coming with me. Least I'm taking him bright and early Friday and they beststa not say anything!!! :)